Chapter 3: The Decision

They all said or implied I was crazy, differing in just the extent. Why would anyone take on a series of tasks he has never done before? It was a straightforward decision for me. First, it was fulfilling my side of bargain with Savvy Steve. That was a solid factor alone. Another important reason I live to believe is that I should never give up on an opportunity to learn. I strongly believe life reflects gaming in this aspect. Whatever points you put into, you improve. In reality, whenever we pay someone to do something for us, we learn nothing. The rationale is that we should be spending time sharpening what we do best in, such that we can excel in that area and in turn maximise our earnings. However, only a tiny percentage of us have the discipline to do exactly that. Most of us would be munching on popiahs or paying someone to do something that we could have done ourselves and improve our skills.

The reason why anyone would say, "I can't cook for nuts," is because he or she had passed shitload of opportunities to change that. None of your friends who can cook damn well "just happened" to be good cooks. They did the dirty work and put in the hours. That is why they can whip up a nutritious meal with 3 ingredients and you have to pay someone to feed you.

I never believe in the notion of building a dream house. If anything, the builders and tradies did it. You did nothing but splash the money. It will only be a dream house if you did (a big) part of the dirty work. For then the shack is ritualised by your blood, fortified by your sweat. Else it would be nothing but a shell of facade, devoid of spirit.

It didn't matter that the shack was owned by Savvy Steve. Since I have agreed to my side of bargain, I shall treat it like my own. I have gotten the builder to erect the skeleton (would have done it myself if they allowed me to) and I will stitch the flesh up piece by piece. It may not turn out looking fantastic but the learning is limitless. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Who in the right mind will pass?

I cannot believe many actually told me it was a stupid idea to use 2 weeks of my AL to do stuff. For "I could have use it for holidays." That is obvious but thank you. Or "I could have use the time to make money and use the money to pay others to do it." If that makes any sense to you. The fact is, most of these fucking tradies charge a higher rate than I am earning in the first place. So if I were to do their work, I actually end up financially better.

The best one yet - "If I were to do it myself, I would do it so slowly - or fuck it up so bad that it would be cheaper to hire someone to do it so that I can move in sooner and save on rental yada yada yada." That brings us back to the first point of the post. If you had learnt how to pick up a wok years before..... If you had learnt anything that you were given the chance to, what is there left to be fearful of?

Years ago, I have already decided to ditch that "Everything swee swee" Singaporean mentality. The person who convinced me was a PRC casual worker in my factory who worked as a researcher as his day-job. Back then, he revealed that he had 4 houses in his portfolio. In order to maximise his earnings, he had to minimise his "downtime." So he each time he acquired a run-down house sitting on a piece of valuable land at a good location, he converted that to his personal home. His previous home would become an investment property (IP) that he could rent out immediately. A newly acquired home will require the owner to live in it for 6 months before he can rent it out. No problem for the PRC gentleman. He took that as an opportunity to fix up the house as his family lived in it. By the time (sometimes it took him years) he was done, he was ready to purchase another run down house to fix up and rent out his valued added, self renovated house at a good location.

The lesson I learnt from him was not to acquire property after property. In fact, instead of learning something new, I learnt to unlearn my old Singaporean attitude. The "everything zho swee swee" mentality may be a mantra for many but to me, it was surplus to requirement. If anything, I found it a stumbling block to the route of possibilities.

The first job as a trade assistant in the steel yard changed me forever. It exposed me in perpetual noise, dirt and weariness that nothing seemed like a big deal to me anymore. These days, I wouldn't flinch if I had to put my palms in a toilet bowl, let alone resting on a toilet bowl in order to reach the tricky crevices around the WC to give it a fresh coat of paint.

Yes, I have been forewarned. Disastrous finishing, back breaking routines, crooked pavings, a broken spirit. I am not afraid. I found out why so many of us are afraid of attempting an unfamiliar task. The core reason being fearful of our mistakes. Thus, the most important thing is to learn how to solve, if not foresee problems. Take for example, if I learn how to fix up a bad painting job, repair an uneven wall, patch up a wrongly drilled hole, there is nothing much to fear about. I can screw things up badly but I can always come back to get it redone for the better next time. We call that "fixing defects" back there.

"I left the door unlocked so that you can come in because I love you so much."

- Albany, 21/11/2016

Emails 2017

Hi Nix,

I came across your interesting blog and wish to ask on your honest opinion.

Do you think it's a good idea to pay 6 months worth of house rental in advanced to secure a place to stay before we go over. Our situation makes it a little difficult to look for one in Darwin with 2 dogs that we couldn't leave behind. And we don't have a job there yet. Oh, we have gotten a 489 visa. And we are intending to move somewhere in June with our 2 dogs and an almost 2 year old kid.

Appreciate your intake on this.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Elaine,

The housing market is currently quite depressed so it should not be difficult to find rental properties. I don't think it is a good idea to pay 6 months in advance at all. You shouldn't find it a problem to get one. If you face any difficulties, let me know the details and see if I can give you ideas.

Hi,

Saw your blog while searching on Singaporean based overseas and hopeful can meet a bunch of you all if i ever go over eventually.

For myself after looking at migrating or completing the process before i do not have enough points to qualify.

Basing on my current situation, it seems since my CV is leaning towards the marketing and financial field. Which in this case seems only Adelaide and Darwin is the only option for Subclass 190.

Do you know any fellow Singaporeans based in either place?

Anyway, for me is more towards wanting a more laid back life and changing the environment. Ideal situation would be to work another 10 years before settling with a small farm land in the country in Aussie. But my worry is whether i would be able to secure a job in Aussie especially with my advance in age 38?

Lastly, any good advice for a frog in the well on his migration journey to aussie?

Many thanks in advance

Regards

Stanley

Hi Stanley,

If you cannot qualify for skilled migration on points, you will not be able to work here, unless you find an employer who is willing to hire you for your skill set and apply for a work visa for you. It is unlikely in this economic climate but may be your only chance.

Dear NIx,

Good day!

I have been reading your blog and decided to migrate to Australia.

I have been researching on how to go about migrating to Australia and unfortunately, I seem to have hit a road block, thus writing this email to seek your advice on which type of visa should i apply.

I will be turning 36 next year. BE Chemical Engineering from UNSW (Stayed in Sydney for 2.5 years and graduated in 2008). Msc in Maritime Studies from NTU (Graduating in June 2017). Currently working as a Business Development Manager in the Shipping Industry. I have also attached my CV for your reference.

I am confident of getting 60 points in the Points Test BUT my current job is not on the SOL list.

My mother's cousin is a PR in Australia and she and her family are living in Perth (I do not know whether this information helps)

I was thinking of taking part time courses in ITE in Electrical Wiring, Residential Plumbing or Air Conditioning and Refrigeration since these jobs are on the SOL list.

Any advice will be really appreciated.

Regards,

Colin Soh

Dear Colin,

First thing first, I would like to know how you qualify for 60 points in the Points Test. Will you be able to provide a breakdown ?

*Please note that if your occupation is not on the SOL, you will not be able to claim points for work experience nor academic qualifications.

Hey buddy!

Was scrolling through and landed on your site. Loved the Art of Survival; plain, blunt yet simple.

I'm a local Sporean dude and just got my PR. Currently workin on contract job and planning to move down under. I realise getting a job in Oz from Spore isn't gonna be easy. Thought of giving it a try since its been just a month. Plan B is to just move and get an unpaid internship for 3 mths. Any advise?

Kind regards,

Hi dude,

To be honest, I don't have a single clue about unpaid internship or anything like that. If you manage to get one of those, I will appreciate if you can let us know the details so we can all learn from you.

I apologise for being painfully obvious but if you find it hard to find a job in Australia from Singapore, then come here and look!

Hello,

My name is Adam and I cam across your blog about migrating to Australia. I would love some advice or experience that you can share with me with regards to my questions.

First of all, I am a US bachelor grad in Mechanical Engineering and worked in the US for 2.5 years. I am a Chinese Malaysian and I'm 25 years old by March (2017). Do you have any ideas or suggestions on migrating to Australia? The subclass 189 doesn't allow me to accumulate enough points because of my work experience did not meet the requirement of 3 years which I was told that usually the Australia immigration officer pay the most attention to. If you disagree with that statement, I would like to hear your advice on that.

The other way I thought is by studying my Masters degree there and while studying, I could think of an idea to set up a business there. Didn't research much into this path but if you have experience with this path, I appreciate a lot if you are willing to share.

Thank you very much and hope to hear from you soon,

Regards,

Adam

Hi Adam,

It sounds really simple. Choose the path of least resistance. Work for 3 years to gain your 60 points then! You'll need the funds to relocate anyway.